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Icarus Suit
|universe=Solar Era }}The Variable Terrain Manoeuvring Suit (more commonly referred to as the Icarus Suit) is a combat suit used during the Herschel Insurrection by ESPF troops. Description & Characteristics Before the mass production of Peacekeeper advanced mobile suits, troops in urban environments used the Icarus combat suit to gain a tactical advantage over enemy machines and attack weak points. The suit provides protection through plates of lightweight liquid armour (plating filled with non-Newtonian fluid which provide impact resistance) and features powered actuators to improve mobility. While the suit cannot provide protection against direct fire from mobile suit armaments, it is designed to allow for rapid movement across the battlefield through the use of gas-powered mono-filament grappling hooks and magnetic clamps. By using the surrounding buildings for cover, troops wearing the Icarus suit can latch themselves onto target machines and plant explosive charges or damage vital equipment. Icarus Suits are built with radar absorbent materials and feature "Mimetic Camouflage", where the suit can alter its colour to adapt to its surroundings. While it does not produce a perfect camouflage, it is enough to fool the more primitive sensor systems at the time. Each suit has a battery life of 60 minutes at maximum performance, though the battery pack can either be switched out or recharged in about 10 minutes. By default the suits are pressurised and primarily used on Earth or within colonies with an atmosphere, however, several modifications exist to seal the suit and provide an air supply, similar to the life support systems on pilot suits. Core Components ;*Battery Pack ;*Liquid Armour Plating :The suit is fitted with a layer of liquid armour, while it is impossible to protect the wearer from the main weapons of a mobile suit, the liquid armour can provide enough protection from anti-personnel defences it might have. Liquid armour plating has the added advantage of being relatively lightweight and helps protect the wearer from other impacts like falling. ;*Magnetic Clamp :Magnetic clamps are key for scaling mobile suits to plant explosives or perform other sabotage, the Icarus Suit normally carries two of them. ;*Mimetic Camouflage :Usually only used in urban environments, mimetic camouflage allows the suit to electronically alter the colour of its surface and is pre-loaded with numerous patterns or can adapt its appearance based on recorded images of the surroundings. When used alongside infrared emission suppression technology and radar jamming the Icarus Suit is quite capable of moving around with far lower chances of being detected with its camouflage. Unfortunately the system is not sophisticated enough to provide a perfect camouflage with the surface behind it, meaning that a sharp-enough eye can identify a user. ;*Mono-Filament Grapple ;*Tactical Heads Up Display History Creation Originally the Icarus suit was designed as next-generation frontline armour for troops, but was shelved due to manufacturing costs in favour of a modular equipment suit which could be fitted with more basic equipment. When Insurrectionist forces began targeting urban areas the Icarus suits were redeployed on a trial basis. Following the success shown at disabling enemy machines the Icarus was put into limited production. Insurrection During the war the Icarus was use in reconnaissance, sniping and tactical mobile suit warfare. However, despite the success of the suit's performance, a few models were stolen by Insurrection forces and used against the Peacekeepers. Rebel forces had fewer successful missions with the Icarus due to the improved anti-personnel weapons on Peacekeeper mobile suits. The suit proved to be vital for the 62nd Division "Starjumpers" in Operation: DEPTH CHARGE as it provided considerable mobility under Mars' lower gravity, allowing the marines to easily scale the shipyard's various buildings while remaining unnoticed. Mothballing Following the conclusion of the Insurrection with Peacekeepers defeating the rebels, the Icarus suit was no longer deemed necessary in combat. By 75 S.E. only special forces such as AEROSTAR are still trained in how to use them but rarely make use of them in anti-mobile suit combat. Notes & Trivia *The Icarus Suit is directly inspired by the Pilot Suit from Titanfall, though lacks features such as the Jump Kit, Cloak, Stim or Active Radar Pulse. See also